Operating mechanism for valves.



J. F. JENNINGS.

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR VALVES.

APPLICATION FILED 001210, 1910.

996,587, Patented June 27, 1911.

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UNITED STATES PATEN T OFFICE.

JOHN F. JENNINGS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE MONARCH BRASSCOMPANY, or CLEVELAND, OHIO.

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR VALVES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 27, 1911.

Application filed October 10, 1910. Serial No. 586,135.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. JENNINGS, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in OperatingMechanism for Valves; and I hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in operating mechanism for valvesand particularly to mechanism for lifting the Valve used for stoppingthe outlet in closet tanks.

The object of the invention is to provide mechanism of this characterwhich can be readily mounted on the side of any tank irrespective of thethickness of the walls of the tank or the location of the outlet openingin the bottom of the tank.

My invention, therefore, consists in providing an adjustable bushingwhich can be made to conform to the thickness of the wall of the tankand also in providing an adjustable trip lever which can be adjustedaccording to the distance between the point where the operating sternextends through the wall of the tank and the outlet opening in the tank.

My invention also consists in the features of construction andcombination of parts hereinafter described, pointed out in the claimsand illustrated in theaccompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a top plan of a tank embodyingmy invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation with part broken away. Fig. 3is a section on line 3-3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4,Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5, Fig. 3.

Again referring to the drawings 1 represents a tank of the usualconstruction which is provided with the usual flush outlet 2 in which isarranged a valve sea-t 3. A ball valve 5 is adapted to rest on the valveseat 3 so as to close said Outlet and the said ball is provided with astem 6 which is adapted to slide in a suitable guide 7 and to the end ofthe stem 6 is pivotally secured a link 9, all of which is of the usualconstruction and forms no part of my invention.

The operating mechanism which embodies my invention is mounted andarranged as follows,In the side of the tank is formed an opening 12 andin this opening is mounted an exterior screw-threaded sleeve 13 which isprovided near its inner end with an annular flange 14 having screw holesthrough which screws 16 are passed for securing the said flange 14 tothe inner face of the tank. The sleeve projects inwardly beyond saidflange 14 and on the end thereof are arranged two stop forming lugs 17and 18. The outer end of said sleeve is arranged to project beyond theouter face of the tank a greater or less distance according to thethickness of the wall of the tank and on the outer end of the sleeve 13is arranged a clamping nut 19 which is provided with a boss 20 ofsufficient depth to receive the entire portion of the sleeve 13 whichprojects beyond the outer face of the tank so that the nut 19 will clamptightly against the outer face of the tank. 22, which is provided on itsouter end with a suitable handle 23, is mounted within the said sleeve13 so as to turn freely therein, and the inner end of said shaft 22projects beyond the inner end of the sleeve and thereon is formed a flatface 24.

On the inner end of the shaft 22 is mounted a collar 25, the said collarbeing provided with a bore 26 which receives the end of said shaft 22and a bore 27 above and at a right angle to the bore 26 and the bore 27is arranged to cut through the upper part of the bore 26 making anopening 28 thereinto, so that the bores are in common where theyintersect each other. arranged on the shaft 22 so that the fiat face onsaid shaft 22 registers with the opening 28 between the bores. The bore27 is adapted to receive the end of a trip lever 29 and this lever isprovided where it passes through the bore 27 with a fiat face 31, andthe said lever is so arranged in the bore 27 that the flat face 31registers with and comes in contact with the flat face 24 on the shaft22. In the collar 25 is arranged a set screw 32, the end of which isadapted to engage the end of the lever 29 in the collar 25 and force itdown against the end of the shaft 22 so that when the said screw isturned down into position the flat face of the said shaft 22 is clampedagainst the flat face of the lever 29 and the collar 25 is rigidlysecured to both. On the collar 25 is arranged an outwardly extendingprojection or finger 33 which extends between A small shaft 1 The collaris the stop forming lugs 17 and 18 on the flange 14. The free end of thelever 29 is operatively connected to the link 9.

It will of course be understood that owing to the various styles oftanks and the method of mounting the same the thickness of the wallswill vary with different tanks and also the distance between the pointat which the operating shaft enters the tank and the outlet opening inthe tank will vary in different tanks. By my invention I have provided avalve operating mechanism which can be readily applied to all tankswithout any change therein. By my arrangement of the sleeve and nut themechanism can be readily fitted to a tank wall of any thickness and thetrip lever can be lengthened or shortened by sliding it through thesupporting collar according as there is a greater or less distancebetween the point at which the operating lever enters the casing of thetank and the outlet opening.

What I claim is,-

1. In mechanism of the character described, the combination with a tankhaving an outlet and a valve closing said outlet, of a screw-threadedsleeve arranged in the wall of said tank and provided with a flange nearits inner end arranged to abut against the inner face of the wall ofsaid tank, a nut adapted to engage the outer end of said sleeve andclamp against the outer face of the wall of said tank, a shaft rotatablyarranged within said sleeve and provided at its outer end with a handle,a collar secured on the inner end of said shaft a trip lever slidablymounted in said collar and means connecting one end of said lever withsaid valve.

2. In mechanism of the character de scribed, the combination with a tankhaving an outlet and a valve closing said outlet, of a screw-threadedsleeve arranged in the wall of said tank, and provided with a flangenear one end arranged to abut against one face of the wall of said tank,a nut adapted to engage the other end of said sleeve and clamp againstthe other face of the wall of said tank, a shaft rotatably arrangedwithin said sleeve and provided at its outer end with a handle, a triplever mounted on the inner end of said shaft and shiftable transverselyof the axis of said shaft and means connecting one end of said leverwith said valve.

3. In mechanism of the character described, the combination with a tankhaving an outlet and a valve closing said outlet, of a screw-threadedsleeve arranged in the wall of said tank and provided with a flange nearits inner end arranged to abut against the inner face of the wall ofsaid tank and with a pair of stop forming lugs, a nut adapted to engagethe outer end of said sleeve and clamp against the outer face of thewall of said tank, a shaft rotatably arranged within said sleeve andprovided at its outer end with a handle, a collar secured on the innerend of said shaft and provided with a finger arranged to extend betweenthe stop forming lugs on said sleeve and a trip lever slidably mountedin said'collar and means connecting one end of said lever with saidvalve.

l. In mechanism of the character described, the combination with a tankhaving an outlet and a valve closing said outlet, of a screw-threadedsleeve arranged in the wall of said tank and provided with a flange nearits inner end arranged to abut against the inner face of the wall ofsaid tank, a nut adapted to engage the outer end of said sleeve andclamp against the outer face of the wall of said tank, a shaft rotatablyarranged within said sleeve and provided at its outer end with a handle,a collar having a bore arranged to receive the inner end of said shaftand a bore at a right angle thereto cutting said first-mentioned bore, atrip lever having one end mounted in the lastmentioned bore in saidcollar and having its other end operatively connected to said valve anda set screw arranged in said collar and adapted to clamp the end of thetrip lever in said collar against the end of said shaft.

5. In mechanism of the character described, the combination with a tankhaving an outlet and a valve closing said outlet, of a screw-threadedsleeve arranged in the wall of said tank and provided with a flange nearits inner end arranged to abut against the inner face of the wall ofsaid tank and with a pair of stop forming lugs, a nut adapted to engagethe outer end of said sleeve and clamp against the outer face of thewall of said tank, said nut having a hollow extension adapted to receivethe projecting end of said sleeve, a shaft rotatably arranged withinsaid sleeve and provided at its outer end with a handle, a collarsecured on the inner end of said shaft and provided with a fingerarranged to extend between the stop forming lugs on said sleeve, a triplever slidably mounted in said collar and in contact with said shaftwhere it passes through said collar, a set screw for clamping the end ofsaid lever against said shaft and means connecting said lever with saidvalve.

In testimony whereof, I sign the forego ing specification, in thepresence of two witnesses.

JOHN F. JENNINGS.

WVitnesses:

VICTOR C. LYNCH, N. L. MoDoNNELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

